Child Foster Care Licensing Guidelines - Minnesota Department of Human Services

In 2021 the legislature directed Minnesota Department of Human Services to write Guidelines for Child Foster Care Licensing. The purpose of the Guidelines is to ensure that children and youth who are in foster care consistently experience safety and well-being regardless of what county or Tribe has placed them, and regardless of which applicable agency is supporting their foster parents. The guidelines will apply to county, private, and Tribal agencies designated or licensed by the department’s commissioner to perform licensing functions and activities. The guidelines will not apply to Tribally-licensed foster homes.

The new Child Foster Care Licensing Guidelines will:

• Make the standards for the assessment and licensing process consistent and clear
• Clarify the standards for on-going support and accountability for licensed child family foster homes
• Reduce barriers for families trying to get licensed

Implementation

Since November 2022 the purpose of this engagement site has been to provide an opportunity for people who are impacted by child foster care licensing to stay informed and to participate in the work being done to write the Guidelines. Now that the Guidelines have been written, this site provides an opportunity for stakeholders to learn about the release of the Guidelines and to ask questions or to provide feedback. Once you've had the opportunity to become familiar with the Guidelines, you may share questions or feedback in the tab below.

The Minnesota Child Foster Care Licensing Guidelines have been published. Introduction sessions were held in December 2023 for workers and supervisors with child foster care licensing and placing responsibilities. A recorded version of the Introduction session can be located here: Child Foster Care Licensing Guidelines Introduction (youtube.com). An accessible version of the PowerPoint shared during the presentation and FAQ's can be found under related documents.